get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. flexpen® is insulin delivery my way. covered by most insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay cost at myflexpen.com. ask your health care provider about novolog® flexpen today. hi, there. i'm brooke baldwin with you today from washington, for the special edition of "cnn newsroom." in his inaugural address here, the late president john f. kennedy implored a new generation to pursue public service. just a short time ago, four americans, each of whom answered kennedy's challenge, pay tribute to his life and memory. president obama, hillary clinton, bill clinton, michelle obama. in their own ways, all are

icons. and all are older now than kennedy was when 50 years ago this friday, the young president's life was cut short by an assassin. these are pictures from arlington national cemetery. the grave site of john f. kennedy. [ taps playing ]

>> there you see the image from moments ago, the president, the first lady there. the clintons, plus members of the kennedy family. all paying tribute to the late president john f. kennedy who was struck down in dallas 50 years ago this friday. also today, here in washington, president obama honored 16 people with the nation's highest civilian honor, the presidential medal of freedom. president kennedy established that award 50 years ago. much more on that in a moment. we'll be speaking live to wunl of the recipients. first, i want to begin with more on the wreath laying sceremony. with me now from arlington, massachusetts, another american who answered kennedy's call, david gergen, adviser to four previous presidents. nice to see you today.

let's just begin with those images we just played here on cnn. what are your thoughts as we witness that moment at arlington? >> well, in many ways, you know, when kennedy was inaugurated, he said it was the passing of the torch. and i think today, we saw the passing of the torch to a new generation. and it was a generation that is very closely tied to president kennedy. of course, president obama was born during the kennedy presidential years. but bill clinton was especially close to him. he met him at boyce state. a fantastic picture of kennedy reaching out and touching the fingers of bill clinton. like god touching moses from clinton's point of view. that was a very inspiring moment for bill clinton. he modeled most of his life and answered the call of the president, and when he came president, larry sab atoe has published a book on the kennedy presidency and how it influenced

previous presidents. clinton was impacted more. he referred to him more than anybody else. he wrapped himself in the kennedy mantel because he's such a strong believer in what kennedy believed in. >> can you articulate what the kennedy legacy is today? >> well, it had an enormously shattering effect on this earlier generation of which i was a mart. i was in the university library when it happened as a student, and i think it first, it was a sense of loss of innocence. over time, kennedy has come to represent an idelistach approach to public puolicy. almost a west wing approach to public life. that is that politics could be noble, even though it has its darker moments and darker sides, politics has a noble

undertaking, public service is a noble undertaking. president kennedy, remember, began the peace corps. it was that call to service that he frequently issued that brought so many people into public life. we have a whole wave of people now retiring from civil service in washington who first came in because of president kennedy. and he made the call and bill clinton answered. i think that call remains. people still wear buttons saying ask not from a famous line from his inaugural address. the new generation of today, i think, is entering kennedy's call in ways we haven't seen for a long time. there's an outburst of idealism and a desire for service on college campuses across the country with the new millennial generation. >> absolutely. that philanthropic nature. david, i'm going to come back to you, but i want to go to brianna keilar. listening to david gergen

talking about the enormous influence of john f. kennedy specifically on clinton. can you tell me about the intricacies of the white house arrangements with the clintons to be there today, and do we know why the clintons? >> this is fascinating. we have been told by a source familiar with the arrangements that it was actually president obama's idea, not just to have the clintons to arlington cemetery for the wreath laying, but the source tells our white house producer, rachel, that it was also president obama's desire to have clinton here today for the medal of freedom. you mentioned, brooke, this was something that president kennedy established. and it really just speaks, i think today, to this iconic imagery in a way that you're seeing. so much nostalgia because you have these different generations, as you heard david gergen mentioning. you have obviously president kennedy being honored, and you also have bill clinton, who cast such a long shadow for so many democrats. president obama there today.

and also by clinton's side, his wife hillary clinton who at this point is considered the front runner in the democratic pack, even though she hasn't said she's throwing her hat in the ring for 2016. it's sort of, i guess, if you will, this different -- i guess, sort of a legacy in a way you're seeing played out here in the washington area. >> mm-hmm. brianna, thank you. david gergen, you told me the story of where you were when you heard the news. and you talk about wanting to answer the call to service as one legacy of president kennedy. but i'm curious, you know, sitting here in washington, this is such a city divided, just politically, but is there something, you think, that the people of all political stripes, in addition to answering that call to service, that everyone could learn from? >> well, i thought the battle of freedom ceremony today was one of those rare special moments in which we pulled back from the

day-to-day brawling of washington and recognize and honor people from all walks of life in america. it's notable, i think, that president kennedy called it the medal of freedom. because that was such an important concept to him, but this is a uniting kind of experience and it reminds us, we can't have that. i was watching yesterday, brooke. you know, you thought it was almost like if you were in london, this would be the queen knighting various people. we have sir bill. and madam oprah, maybe. but there is a symbolism about bringing people together periodically that i think really helps. and it's also important to -- you know, president kennedy was the first television president. his assassination changed television. it became a much more universal way of understanding and seeing things. and his assassination drew us around on national hearth and we

were all together. i think now we're going through these memories of his assassination and this memorial week we're having. and i do think that there's something that reminds us, even amidst all of our huge differences now, sharp differences, that there are moments and there are reasons why, you know, we still are one people. >> why we should be coming together, especially on weeks like this. david gergen, thank you so much. and brianna keilar, for us at the white house, really appreciate it. >> three gunshots 50 years ago, and america changed forever. please watch the assassination of jfk tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern and pacific right here on cnn. >> as david was discussing, not only are we remembering the anniversary of jfk's det, but this year also marked the 50th anniversary of the presidential medal of freedom. so significant because kennedy

established this award in 1963 when he signed the order for the civilian highest honor, the 50th anniversary of honoring these individuals and recipients. you have former president bill clinton. talk show host oprah winfrey. music legend loretta lynn and arturo sand oball, ernie banks and gloria steinem, also founder of ms. magazine, and president obama said the medal of freedom goes to men and women who have dedicated their own lives, really, to enriching others. here's just a sampling from this morning's ceremony. >> he doesn't stop. he's helped lead relief efforts after the asian tsunami, hurricane katrina, the haiti earthquake. his foundation and global initiative have helped to save or improve the lives of literally hundreds of millions of people, and of course, i am

most grateful for his patience during the endless travels of my secretary of state. so i'm grateful, bill, as well, for the advice and counsel you have offered me on and off the gau golf course, and most importantly for your life-saving work around the world, which represents the very best in america. thank you so much, president clinton. early in oprah winfrey's career, her bosses told her, she should change her name to suzy. i have to pause here to say, i got the same advice. they didn't say i should be named suzy, but they suggested i should change my name.

people can relate to suzy. that's what they said. it turned out, surprisingly, that people could relate to oprah just fine. in more than 4500 episodes of her show, her message was always, you can. you can do. and you can be, and you can grow, and it can be better. speaking of game-changers, disrupters, there's a young girl named gloria steinem, who arrived in new york to make her mark as a journalist, and magazines only wanted to write article said like "how to cook without really cooking for men." gloria noticed things like that. she's been called a champion noticer. she is alert to all the ways large and small that women had been and in some cases continue

to be treated unfairly just because they're women. >> there she was on the dais at the white house, and we'll talk live with presidential medal of freedom recipient gloria steinem in a moment. you're watching cnn. i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company.

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applause. >> what a proud moment there inside the white house just a couple hours ago today. as president obama honored 16 americans with the u.s. presidential medal of freedom. just to put this in perspective, this is the nation's highest civilian honor. it's awarded to individuals who have broken barriers, who have made significant impacts on our nation. and i should tell you that the ceremony is especially significant this year because it comes during the 50th anniversary of the year the medal was established by president john f. kennedy. one of today's recipients, certainly no stranger to making history. >> gloria steinem has been at the forefront of the fight for equality and social justice for more than four decades. instrumental to a braoad range f issues from establishing miss

magazine and take our daughters to work day, to pushing for women's empow erment and the en of sex trafficking. she haas promoting social change in america and abroad. she has shaped debates on the intersection of sex and race. brought critical problems to national attention, and forged new opportunities for women in media. gloria steinem continues to move us all to take up the cause of reaching for a more just tomorrow. >> trail blazing author, editor, feminist activist gloria steinem. she has traveled the world. speaking out about issues of gender and social equality. back in 1972, she cofounded, you just heard, "miss" magazine, where as editor, she helped change how women thought about themselves. this morning, the president of the united states calling steinem a champion noticer. said because of her work, more women are afforded the respect

and opportunities they deserve. gloria steinem joins me live right now. with that medal of honor right around her neck at the white house. ms. steinem, it is truly an hahn toor have you here with me. thank you so much. let me begin with this. you know, once upon a time, certain americans probably considered you public enemy number one. they -- some perceived you as this threat to societal order. what was it like when you received the medsnl. >> i'm going to have to think about it for a long time to fully understand the feeling because first of all, it's -- so many medals are given in war time. it came from a president that especially gives it meaning, that has been a champion of reproductive freedom as a fundamental right and him

himself has broken barriers. finally, it's very clear that this is a movement medal. you know, this is for an entire movement. so, you know, it could not possibly be more meaningful to me. >> as a movement medal and given everything you have achieved really in your lifetime, reading about you and knowing who you are, you have said, gloria steinem, that america was not ready to elect a woman president in 2008. times may be changing come 2016. do you think that might happen? >> yes, i think so. i didn't -- not that i'm not omniscient, but i didn't think the country was ready in 2008 because i think so many of us are raised as children by women that we come to associate female authority with childhood and we don't -- we aren't necessarily able to picture it and trust it in public life, but i do think that the efforts of huge, huge

numbers of women who have taken the risk and the -- you know, just the adventure of getting out there and showing that women must be in authority, otherwise we have neglected half our talent, and that means that we are accustomed now to understanding that women can be in authority. and also, that men can be in child rearing, can be nurturing. you know, this is the deepest revolution. >> i would like to get to men in just a moment with you, gloria steinem. first you mentioned women in roles of authority, and preparing for this, the name that came to my mind is marissa may mayer, yahoo ceo, she made headlines, especially for this, this picture of her, this provocative spread in "vogue" magazine. some saying she should not be maybe as 6y as she appeared here. what kind of persona should a female ceo embody today? >> whoever she is. there are no shoulds. you know, we're supposed to be -- we're most creative and

most trust worthy when we are authentic severals. it's not, needless to say, about biology or about race. it's about consciousness. you can have women who are against, as we saw with sarah palin, the issues that the majority of women support, and you can have members of racial or other ethnic groups. you know, it's not a condition of birth. it's a condition of consciousness. and when the consishness goes together with the experience, so people know what it's like to grow up in this country and be treated as a female human being, to be treated as a person of color or a gay person or a transgender person, then it's truly glorious because you have the expertise and the authenticity coming together. >> going to let that truck roll right past you. we want to hear you. what about, though, what we

women are doing wrong? because maybe a lot has changed when we talk about the potential for a female president in the last ailt or so years, but when it comes to the business world, to media, home, hollywood, what do you think is still holding women back in 2013? >> well, obviously, you know, how long do we have? we still don't even have equal pay for equal work. if we did, there would be $200 billion more in the economy. women of color are doubly diskrminated against many times. you know, i hardly know where to begin about what's holding us back. and of course, we have to be able to decide when and whether to have children, and there are many state legislatures not controlled by had majority but by special interests who are trying to take that away. when you have a front lash, you have a back lash. there are a lot of people who when they think about a leader or decision maker, they can only see a white guy who is

heterosexual. they're threatened by this, but the good news is the majority of americans support it. they just need to take back the state legislatures. most americans don't know who their state legislators are. we have to pay as much attention to the states, at least, as we do to washington. >> final question, and then i'll let you know and marinate in the medal of honor around your neck. men, we have talked about member and paternity leave in recent hitsry and many aren't taking the time they need, that there's perhaps a stigma that they should not do that. what needs to change? >> obviously, it needs to be parental leave taken by both men and women. we have a good example in sweden and other european countries. but in a deep sense, unless children grow up when they're little knowing that men can be loving and nurturing just as women can, they replicate these limited roles as they grow up. they think if they're men, they can't be loving and nurturing. they must be an authority or in

control. and if they're women, they have to be. you know, it's so, so important that we both see women and authority outside the home and men inside the home, so we finally get to a place where we can use all of our very unique individual human talent and see ourselves as human beings. you know, in many, many old languages, didn't even have he and she. human beings were human beings. so we're trying to get there again. so we can see both the uniqueness of the individual and the shared humanity of us all. >> we're getting deep here, but i appreciate it. gloria steinem, thank you so much, and again, congratulations. >> thank you. other news today, once the target of so many late-night laughs, george w. bush finally got a chance to return a few barbs himself last night on the "tonight show" with jay leno.

while the former president mostly stays out of the spotlight, he said he made a special exception for leno. >> i was pleasantly surprised you accepted the invitation. >> only because of you. >> thank you. that's very kind. very kind. >> i mean, you're about to head out to pasture. >> yeah. >> just wanted to see what you look like before you got to the gate. >> thank you. that's very kind. now, i know you have avoided talking policy for the last six or seven years. explain why. >> i don't think it's good for the country to have a former president criticize his successor. >> laura bush later joined her husband. the conversation turned to his recent heart comp kashz. . >> when the president had that heart scare, how scary was that? >> it was scary. very scary. >> yeah?

>> but -- >> i wasn't as scared. >> you had obama care? >> the former president also had a gift for leno. painted him, apparently, the president has been spending time with a brush and paint. what do you think? he's taking up painting since leaving the white house. and this w-- was it a one hit wonder or a one hit disaster. another blow for toronto's kr crack-smoking mayor. find out why they pulled the plug on mayor ford's brand new tv show. now is the time to find the coverage that's right for you ...at the right price. the way to do that is to explore your options. you can spend hours doing that yourself ... or you can call healthmarkets, and let us do the legwork for you - with no cost or obligation.

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well, that was quick. toronto's crack-smoking, vol garrity dropping mayor's tv show that debuted this monday night has been canceled. >> rob and doug, totally unplugged. >> i'm not proud of what i have done. >> the mayor of hmayhem, like yu have never seen him before. >> it turned out you will not see this again, at least on the ford nation show. the sun news network said the show took too much time, too money, quite simply to produce and the network vp said it beat previous rating records, the ford brothers were not paid to do the show. just this week, you know the deal, the toronto city council voted 36-5 to slash the mayor's budget and transfer most of his duties to the deputy mayor. and now this here.

let's talk about this florida congressman, trey radel. he pleaded guilty today to buying 3.5 grams of cocaine outside a washington restaurant last month. this is new video here. this is raidal outside court earlier today. he was sentenced to one year probation. he's set to begin rehab in florida. he has described himself as -- yes, and i'm quoting, a hip-hop conservative. this is according to his twitter page. in a statement, he said he struggled with alcoholism, which led to what he called to an irresponsible choice. today, he told the judge he has hit bottom. he said he needs help. athena jones is joining me to talk a little bit about this. it's interesting, you say all the details that came out today in court. let's begin specifically with the bust. what do you know? >> brooke, this is really interesting. we learned a little bit before the court appearance began. we learned he was not the target here. it was dealer, not users and buyers who were the target of this broad dea and fbi

investigation. this, we learned, from my colleague, a correspondent, evan perez. in court today, we learned how the sting went down. this dealer was caught. the dealer said, hey, look, one of my customers is a congressman. law enforcement authorities thought they couldn't ignore that, so they set up this sting with the help of this dealer, involved another undercover police officer who offered to sell congressman radel 3.5 grams of cocaine. they did the deal in this undercover police officer's car in a tuesday night, less than a month ago. he handed over $260 and they busted him right then and there. went back to the congressman's apartment where he produced another vial of cocaine he had. very interesting the details that came out today. >> quickly, we know, one-year probation. will he be drug tested? >> he's going to go to florida and do in-patient treatment. he's been doing out-patient treatment already. we don't know the details on

what the treatment will look like, but this is a minimized supervised probation, so he'll be in contact, monitoring his progress. >> thank you. up next, a cnn exclusive. a life or death situation for u.s. veterans. not from what they faced while serving over seas, rather from what they face right here at home. hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome.

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liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? an investigation shows how u.s. veterans are dying. in this case, though, not by fighting on the battlefield, but by waiting in a monster backlog at v.a. hospitals. we're not talking hours. i'm talking month. time that all cancer patients know can mean the difference between life and death. and what's worse here, the v.a. is in the know. and is doing little about these deadly wait times. drew griffin of cnn investigations has the story. >> to understand the problems with the v.a., a good place to start is the williams jennings brian dorn veterans center in columbia, south carolina, where veterans waiting for a simple gastrointestinal procedure, like

colonoscopy have been dying. six so far confirmed. and sources tell cnn the number of vets dead or dying of cancer because they had to wait too long for diagnosis or treatment could be more than 20. >> it's very sad because people die. and tay didn't have to. they paid the ultimate price. at a veterans hospital. >> mm-hmm. >> dr. steven lloyd is a private physician specializing in colonoscopies in columbia, south carolina. he's also one of the few doctors in the area willing to speak on the record. >> people who had appointments had their appointments cancels and scheduled later, and sometimes they went into a later stage and therefore lost the battle to live. >> this wasn't just some oversight by the hospital. documents obtained by cnn showed the hospital knew its growing waiting list and delairs in care

were having deadly kaubsquences. they reviewed the cases of 280 gastrointestin cancer patients d found 52 of the cases were associated with a delay in diagnosis and treatment. cnn has obtained individual cases like this one, a vet who had to wait nine months for a colonoscopy. a significant delay which would have impacted the stage at which he was diagnosed. records indicate by the time this veteran had surgery, his cancer was at stage three. a second patient had to wait four months for an appointment. ten months for an endaweskeepy, at which time, he learned he had later stage cancer of the esophagus. the internal v.a. report says without the delay, his cancer would have been diagnosed much earlier, and though the report doesn't say whether the vet lived or die, it does say an earlier screening would have provided earlier detection with

better survival. >> there is a problem the v.a. said. >> o'neal sessions is one of the lucky ones. he said v.a. doctors at dorn medical center told him this spring he didn't even need a colonoscopy. it's advice he ignored. this fall, he had one on his own, and his private physician found and removed two polyps. two of which were precancerous. his doctor said had he waited a few years, he would have had colon cancer. it has to be a little disheartening? >> yes, it is. the v.a. is not doing the -- my feelings is the v.a. is not doing their pre-stuff they should do to protect the veterans. >> most troubling of all is the problem here was identified. more money was given to fix the problem. and what happened? the waiting list grew. >> we appropriated a million dollars because v.a. asked for it.

>> florida congressman jeff miller is chairman of the house committee on veterans affairs. of the million dollars, congress specifically gave to dorn to pay for care for vets on a waiting list, only a third was used for its intended purpose. documents exclusive to cnn show at that same time, the waiting list kept growing. in just five months, from 2,500 patients to a backlog of 3,800. some patients waiting eight months for appointments. >> they will say that we redirected those dollars to go somewhere else that was needed. where would it be more needed than to prevent the deaths of veterans? these are real people that we're talking about that are being harmed, either made sick, will be sick in the future, or have died. >> and it's not just delayed colonoscopies and it's not just in south carolina. the v.a. now says other facilities have been under

scrutiny over possible delays in treatment or diagnosis. at the charlie norwood v.a. medical center in augusta, georgia, three veterans are confirmed dead as a result of delay in care. an internal document shows a waiting list there of 4500 patients. the v.a. also investigated delays in atlanta, georgia, north texas, and jackson, mississippi. and claims in texas and mississippi there were no adverse outcomes due to delays. long wait times and a weak scheduling policy in process have been persistent problems for v.a. and the gao and the inspector general have been reporting on these issues for more than a decade. >> debra draper has been reporting to congress on the delays in care for years. she says it's so bad she and her staff have found evidence that v.a. hospitals try to cover up wait times, fudge numbers, back date delayed appointments just to try to make things appear better than they are. she says just getting someone to

pick up the phone to make an appointment at a v.a. hospital can be difficult. >> care is being delayed. there's no doubt about it. >> well, it's unclear how long it's being delayed because no one can give you accurate information. >> and report after report, the government accountability office makes recommendations, but the problems persist at many hospitals. >> nothing has been fully implemented that we know of at this point. >> so you make recommendations and they say they're working on it. >> yes, and we will be following up. >> in fact, time and time again, even at hospitals where veterans died waiting for care, administrators got bonuses, not demotions, according to congressional investigators. cnn's repeated request for interviews with the v.a. have been denied, and even congress has had its request for information ignored. >> but unfortunately, if they treat members of congress, the u.s. house and the senate, this way, imagine how they treat the average veteran out there. the person who has served,

that's trying to get information from them. i can't imagine the grief that they may be going through. >> as for the veterans waiting for care at dorn v.a. hospital in south carolina, the v.a. would grant no interview, but told us the consult delay at dorn v.a.m.v. has been resolved. cases are now tracked daily and additional staff hired. but sources at dorn, both patients and medical staff, tell cnn that's just not true. the problems continue, and veterans are still facing delays in care that could be killing them. >> drew griffin joins me now. why is this happening? >> you know, when you read these reports, you get the documents, you talk to the sources that we talked to, i think it all boils down to one thing. completely incompetent management at these hospitals and at the veterans administration itself, and absolutely no accountability for the managers who are performing this disservice. i think it really boils down to

that, brooke. >> drew griffin, thank you so much, with our cnn investigates unit. >> coming up next, the new details today on virginia state senator creigh deeds. an up dade on his condition after he was brutally attacked, allegedly by his own son.

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virginia state senator creigh deeds is showing signs of a full recovery. after being stabbed repeatedly in his head and his chest, senator deeds ran from his home in remote virginia. >> he was able to make his way

out to the road. after he left the scene on foot and was able to make his way out to the road, and had evidently was picked up by a family member. >> that family member was a cousin who lives at a farm nearby. here is the new information we have from the medical center, senator deeds' condition was upgraded to good so that's great news for his family in thad regard. his 24-year-old son who had recently moved in with his father and his father's new wife died of a gunshot wound at that same home. >> based on the evidence we have right now, we are looking into this as an attempted murder and suicide. now, this is not an absolute determination because it's still very much an ongoing investigation. >> gus deeds was often seen at his father's side on the campaign trail. take a look at these pictures here. gus attended the college of william and mary in

williamsburg, virginia. but the school says as of last month, he left the college. the richmond times dispatch is reporting gus deeds was sent for a mental health evaulgz under an emergency custody order as late as monday this week, but he was released that day because no psychiatric beds were available for him. according to the washington post, at least two hospitals in the area said they did have beds but never received a call. still to come, at the top of the hour here on cnn, she's one of the few people still alive who was there, who witnessed the assassination of john f. kennedy 50 years ago. tony glover will join me live at the top of the hour. she talks about what she remembers as a little girl, 11 years of age, and why she didn't come forward as an eyewitness until years later. he best water. like the cold alaskan seas. it's the cleanest, clearest water. a haven for crab. [ male announcer ] and the unspoiled coast of maine.

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here we go. second hour here, back with you live from washington, d.c. for a special edition of "cnn newsroom." i'm brooke baldwin. and here, we're here in washington with a moment of great poiniance because this

happened 90 minutes ago. president obama, hillary clinton, bill clinton, michelle obama, paying tribute to the life of the late president, john f. kennedy. kennedy assassinated in dallas 50 years ago this friday. let's listen for a moment. [ taps playing ]

>> what a moment there. you see the president, the first lady, the clintons. plus members of the kennedy family, all paying tribute to the late president john f. kennedy, who was struck down in dallas 50 years ago this friday. and joining me now from philadelphia, one of the few known living witnesses to that kennedy assassination, tony glover. she's a professor at the university of scranton. tony, welcome. thank you so much for joining me. let me just begin with, you were 11 years of age. you were a little girl. and from what i read, you begged your mother to allow you to go down to dealey plaza to watch this presidential motorcade. as a young girl, tell me, tony, what was it about president kennedy that compelled you so. >> i -- my family was troubled. and i felt like if i could get

kennedy to look at me or to wave at me, that that would mean i had a personal connection with him. and that, you know, the troubling stuff that was going on at my house would all be over with because no one would hurt a kid that kennedy knew. so i had some magical thinking when i went down there. and he did indeed look up and wave. and smile. and i -- my heart just, you know, leapt for joy. i was floating in air. and then he turned the corner, and his head exploded. so it was kind of hard to put those two things together. especially for an 11-year-old. >> i mean, to hear you say his head exploded, go ahead. again, a sixth grader. what did you hear and see? >> i think that -- well, it was a time of political correctness.

and it was discussed as the assassination or the fatal shot. for the people who were standing there, it was a murder. and it was graphic. it was right in front of us. and it was hard to process. at first, you want to deny it. i yelled to my mother, someone threw fireworks in the car and the police are really mad. then mrs. kennedy came out of the back seat and crawled onto the trunk. and you knew the most sophisticated woman in the world was going to jump out of the back seat in a skirt, that something horrible had happened. that was the moment when our hearts just sank to our toes, because we knew something terrible had happened. even though we weren't exactly sure what.

she -- she characterized the whole tragedy, actually. >> how do you mean? in that pink chanel suit with blood spatter? >> well, it wasn't just a pink chanel suit. she had on little white gloves. and she was, you know, waving with those little white gloves. and it was the back of the trunk after, you know, his head exploded, was a mess. and so she was sliding through that, trying to grab something. and clint hill jumped on the back of the car and shoved her back into it. but you just -- that was the moment for me, and i think for many people, the oral histories i have watched and tried to learn from, that we all knew it was, you know, it wasn't a near miss or it wasn't something grazed his head.

that was pretty dramatic when she did that. >> clint hill, the first lady's secret service agent there at that time. and you talk about these oral histories. you didn't come forward as an eye witness to that for years. why? >> no, i didn't. and i'm not unusual in that regard. after the assassination, there were several books that came out. and not by credible authors, that said a number of witnesses have been killed in unusual ways. and since there was always kind of a question of whether or not oswald acted alone at first, it put a lot of fear in you. and you thought, well, if somebody finds out i'm a witness, then maybe they'll come after me. and that's completely irrati irrational, but it was a fear that we locked onto. many people didn't come for 30

years or 40 years. a woman had actually some film that she kept in her lawyer's office for 30 years before she had it developed. and when she speaks to this day, she cries. as soon as she tries to speak about it. most witnesses cannot get through a discussion without crying. so i forewarn you. if i start to choke up, you'll know why. >> toni glover, i can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to not only witness history, but almost be a part of it, and being there in dallas, and i know that you plan to be there in dallas for the observance, for the 50th on friday. you have your plane ticket. but there is still a little trepitatitre trepidation as to whether or not you're even going to get on the plane. is that correct? >> that's true. there is a little bit of that. i have only been to dealey plaza fou fore our five times since the

assassination. every time i go, it is -- it's devastating. rose kennedy had a quote that said, it's been said that time heals all wounds. but i don't believe that. your mind will cover them with scars and the pain lessens, but it's still there. and this wound is so deep for the witnesses that when you start to touch it again, when you start to talk about it, it just brings up a tremendous amount of pain. a tremendous amount of emotion. it's difficult not to let that out. so every time i have been to dealey plaza, people come up and speak to me. and as soon as i start talking about it, i start crying. especially if i'm in dealey pla plaza. this year, there will be other witnesses.

and so, you know, i'm sure i'll get on the plane and go. it's just that i'll tuck a lot of kleenex into my -- into my pockets. >> you will not be the only one. >> no, no. >> toni glover, thank you so much. let us know if you get on the plane. and we appreciate you sharing your story with us on cnn. thank you. >> thank you. thanks. 50 years ago, president kennedy issued an historic presidential order as well. what it did was establish the presidential medal of freedom. this is the nation's highest civilian honor. the medal is awarded to individuals who have broken barriers, truly made significant impacts on the nation. so 16 people were honored with the medal today right here in washington, d.c. including a former commander in chief and an iconic media mogul. >> he doesn't stop. he's helped lead relief efforts after the asian tsunami,

hurricane katrina, the haiti earthquake. his foundation and global initiative have helped to save or improve the lives of literally hundreds of millions of people, and of course, i am most grateful for his patience during the endless travels of my secretary of state. so i'm grateful, bill, as well for the advice and counsel that you have offered me on and off the golf course. and most importantly, for your life-saving work around the world, which represents the very best in america. so thank you so much, president clinton. early in oprah winfrey's career, her bosses told her she should change her name to suzy. i have to pause here to say i got the same advice.

they didn't say i should be named suzy, but they suggested i should change my name. people can relate to suzy. that's what they said. it turned out, surprisingly, that people could relate to oprah just fine. in more than 4,500 episodes of her show, her message was always, you can. you can do and you can be and you can grow and it can be better. >> another honoree sitting there on the stage today, a woman right there in black, prolific speaker, feminist activist and cofounding editor of miss magazine. she's gloria steinem and she joined me live last hour. she's a woman who president obama this morning described as a champion noticer, a woman who viewed the way women viewed themselves. she said america wasn't ready to

have a woman president in 2008. >> i didn't, not that i'm not omniscient, but i didn't think it country was ready in 2008 because so many of us are raised as children by women that we come to associate female authority with childhood and we don't -- we aren't necessarily able to picture it and trust it in public life, but i do think that the efforts of huge, huge numberoffs women who have taken the risk and the -- you know, just the adventure of getting out there and showing that women must be in authority, otherwise we have neglected half our talent, and that means that we are accustomed now to understanding that women can be in authority. >> thank you, gloria steinem, for joining me today. other medal of freedom honorees

included today, music ledgend loretta lynn, artaro sandoval, and ernie banks. coming up here, some of the other stories we're watching. new regulations for air traffic controllers. we'll tell you why a pilot's weight may play a role in pilot safety. also coming up, baseball star alex rodriguez, storms out of a hearing. he said he's fed up. he also said he's, quote, disgusting with the abusive process. what's he talking about? we'll tell you, coming up. for all those who sleep too hot or too cool,

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rodriguez. he's fighting his suspension for allegedly using performance enhancing drugs. just a short time ago, he lost his temper at the hearing to overturn that decision, stormed out of the room. jason carroll, let me bring you in, and then explain to me as we talk a-rod, what the heck happened? >> well, there's no love lost as you know brooke between the two camps, between rodriguez and mlb. today is absolutely no exception. basically, rodriguez is so frustrated with the entire process, this investigative process, that led to his 211-game suspension, unprecedented. rodriguez basically saying that mlb investigators used unethical tactics to try to investigate him, including coercing and intimidating one witness, one witness that we actually interviewed, brooke, into saying false things about rodriguez. and basicallbasically, rodrigue mlb's commissioner, bud selig, to testify in this arbitration

hearing. an arbitration hearing, by the way, closed to the public. today, the arbitrator, the man proceeding over this entire process, this entire hearing, decided selig doesn't have to testify. rodriguez had it at thas point. the meeting is closed, but a source inside the proceeding tells me rodriguez became so angry, he slammed his hand down on the desk, looked at selig, at rob manferred, the mlb ceo, said you're full of it and stormed out of the hearing. he released a statement saying i'm disgusted with this abusive process, designed to insure that the player fails. i have walked out and will not participate any further in this farce. that coming from alex rodriguez. also, we reached out to mlb. a spokesman giving us a statement from mlb's side, saying despite mr. rodriguez being upset with one of the arbitration panel's rulings today, major league baseball

remains committed to this process and to a fair resolution of the pending dispute. that comes from pat courtney, the mlb spokesman. now, the arbitration hearing will proceed forward without rodriguez, who we're told is still very upset. also hearing late word rodriguez is going to speak about this on a sports radio show out of washington, d.c. sports radio host mike francesca, and i'm told during that interview with francesca, which is spoesed to be taking place about now, rodriguez is going to tell anyone who is listening that he did not take performance-enhancing drugs. >> we know you'll be listening. let us know what he says. jason carroll, thank you very much. coming up next, 50 years since the assassination of jfk, and one tragic image from that day has become iconic. that pink suit worn by the first lady, jackie onassis kennedy.

we'll gotalk about her style an her presence on that day coming up next. i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers. you can find it all on angie's list. join today.

it is the high fashion symbol of one of the lowest points the nation has ever endured. that pink chanel suit jacqueline kennedy was wearing when her husband was shot 50 yearuds go this friday. here she was, that iconic outfit. to this day, has not been washed. did you know that? it's a deliberate and distinct decision mrs. kennedy made in the hours following her husband's death, according to the "new york times." they wrote this, on the plane back to washington, in her pink chanel suit, caked with her husband's blood, jackie kennedy

resists all suggestions from her aids that she clean herself up. instead, she said let them see what they've done. the "new york times" goes on to report that that suit, that pink suit, is now in a vault, preserved by the national archives. caroline kennedy has instructed that pink outfit not be seen by the public until the year 2103. i want to turn now to the author of the book "jackie style." she joins me, and pam, you have written so much. when we talk about this chanel suit, before we even talk about the tragic, tragic moment, the color of the suit, it's a strong color. what do you think the first lady was going for there? >> she knew what she was doing. it was a very striking pink, and she knew she would be surrounded by a bunch of men in navy suits, so she knew the color would pop,

and it does. >> after her husband is shot and killed right next to her in the motorcade, and she makes this choice as she's covered in that blood, to hop the plane back to washington. she knew she would be photographed. why not wash it, do you think? >> it was traumatic, as you said. her husband was killed right next to her in the back of a limousine. it was traumatic and she said let the people see what they did. sxin fact, she kept that suit on, you know, jfk, the body was brought back to washington. they had it autopsied. they finally got back to the white house with his body about 4:00 the next day. then she finally -- >> to hear, this is this graceful, seemingly perfect first lady, and here she is crawling in that car after her husband has been shot in this beautiful dress. i talked to one of the surviving eye witnesses as far as what she saw when it came to the first lady. this is what she just told me. >> he did indeed look up and wave. and smile.

and i- heart just, you know, leapt for joy. i was floating in air. and then he turned the corner and his head exploded. then mrs. kennedy came out of the back seat and crawled onto the trunk. and you knew if the most sophisticated woman in the world was going to jump out of the back seat in a skirt, that something horrible had happened. she characterized the whole tragedy, actually. >> do you agree with that, pam? put what she did in perspective for us? >> well, i mean, she was in shock, as i said, her husband was inexplecably killed next to her, his head exploded, not to get too blunt, and she was crawling over the back of the limousine to try to get -- you know, to get piece said of his head on the trunk, and then clint hill leapt on the back of the car to try to get her in the car, so they could safely race to the hospital.

it was terrible, a great tragedy. >> not too long after, you have the funeral. so she knows from this pink suit to wearing black. she has that veil, and just -- she was 34 at the time. she was 31 when she became first lady, 34 when her husband was assassinated. and just if you can, pam, as we look at these archival pictures, bring me back to the time, her posture, her privacy, her legacy. >> well, i think she was very conscious always that she was the wife of the president of the united states and she was representing this country, and she had a tremendous fear jfk would be forgotten after he was killed, which we can't believe now 50 years later. she wanted a state funeral. when she came back on the plane, he already was calling the white house and said see everything you can about lincoln's funeral. she was going to mimic this on lincoln, who was also obviously assassinated. >> pam, your book is "jackie

style." pam, thank you so much for your perspective on the first lady. and america changed nearly 50 years ago forever. now cnn puts you on the ground in dallas, texas. watch the assassination of jfk tomorrow night at 9:00 eastern time and pacific right here on cnn. coming up next, virginia state senator creigh deeds, his condition has been upgraded to good one day after being stabbed multiple times in his own home. his 24-year-old son found dead of a gunshot wound, and according to a local paper, the family had been seeking treatment for gus one day before. why didn't they get it? we'll talk about that next. ♪ ♪ here we are, me and you ♪ on the road ♪ and we know that it goes on and on ♪ [ female announcer ] you're the boss of your life. in charge of making memories and keeping promises. ask your financial professional how lincoln financial can help you take charge of your future.

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bottom of the hour, i'm brooke baldwin. live today in washington, d.c., i want to take you to virginia, not too far away where this senate senator was stabbed repeatedly in the head and chest. creigh deeds is showing signs of a full recovery. his condition, we have learned, has been upgraded to good. this is one day after police say his son, gus, attempted a murder-seu murder-suicide. the 24-year-old eventually dying of what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> based on the evidence we have right now, we are looking into this as an attempted murder and suicide. now, this is not an absolute

determination because it's still very much an ongoing investigation. >> gus deeds was often seen at his father's side out and about in the campaign trail. this is him in the blue shirt. gus was a music major, according to reports, a stellar student. he had been attending the college of william and mary, but the school says that last month, he left the college. the newspaper, the richmond times dispatch, is also reporting that gus deeds was sent for a mental health evaulgz after what was called a emergency custody order, but the paper reports he was released this past monday, one day before the allegeled altercation. the reason, according to the newspaper, no psychiatric beds could be found for him. and according to the washington post, two hospitals in the area say they did have beds but never received a call. joining me now, two guests here, doris fuller, executive director of the treatment advocacy center. welcome back to you, doris. and also jeff gardere, clinical

and forensic psychologist. it's a tragic stroery all the way around, but this was one of my first questions. you have this report from the washington post, suggesting this massive breakdown in the system, doris, to you first, put this in perspective. is this a rarity to not have hospital beds? a one time thing, or does this happen more than we realize? >> it happens all the time, brooke. we live in a country where we have 7.7 million people who have severe mental illness. about half of them are in treatment at any given time. the other half are not. we have 43,000 public hospital beds for people in psychiatric crisis. we have been eliminating them for 50 years. there's not enough today. it happens every day. we probably wouldn't even be talking about this if it hadn't been for senator deeds, because somewhere in america, every day, multiple times a day, someone who's in crisis and needs a

hospital bed, doesn't get a hospital bed. >> and the state of virginia specifically, jeff gardere, you say, is among one of the worst states when it comes to mental health resources. how bad is it and why? >> yeah, well, from what we're hearing, virginia's had its highest suicide rate in the past 13 years. it has a very high suicide rate. two reasons have been given. one is that of course the poverty rate and unemployment in virginia, and the stress that goes along with that. but the other part of it is inadequate mental health resources. we know this happens all over the nation. it seems to be a bad problem in virginia right now. and what we're hearing, that the hospital said, yes, they did have some beds. the people who evaluated gus said they didn't, weren't able to find beds. so again, you see a breakdown of the mental health system.

>> so with the breakdown, and doris, you and i, we dedicated a half hour on the show to talking specifically about mental health in america. you know, you're right. we probably wouldn't be talking about this if it didn't relate to the fact it was a state senator involved. what's at the top of the list in terms of what needs to change? what needs to improve? >> well, having more beds is a great place to start. you know, when people are -- the supreme irony here is, when senator deeds himself was in crisis because he had been stabbed, there was no problem finding a bed because we have beds for people with medical problems. but we don't value having beds for people with psychiatric problems. we still don't know a lot -- >> how do we get the beds? >> pardon? we need different public policies. we need to have public policies that recognize we need the beds, and we need to restore -- first, we could closing them.

we have been closing beds for 50 years. let's stop right now closing beds. then let's look for a way to replace them. we don't necessarily need to go out and rebuild the huge hospitals that were closed, but we need to have acute crisis facilities that are accessible to people who are in crisis. >> jeff gardere, 30 seconds. what's your one suggest? what's need to change? >> we need to see mental health have parody with the other medical issues wrnch even in the medical school, we need to step it up to teach our doctors so they can better treat our kids and our citizens, and that's what we do at my medical school, turro college of osteopathic medicine. it's required of all our doctors. >> so incredibly important. doris, jeff, thank you so much. coming up, congressman trey radel in court today for possession of cocaine. the republican representative

said quite frankly he had hit rock bottom. he asked for forgiveness today, but will he face jail time sdploo and new regulations for pilots and air traffic controllers. why a pilot's weight may actually play a role in flight safety. we'll explain that coming up. (vo) you are a business pro. maestro of project management. baron of the build-out. you need a permit... to be this awesome. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. (aaron) purrrfect. (vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro.

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overweight airline pilots will soon be tested for sleep problems that could threaten passenger safety. this is a major policy change for the faa. overweight pilots and air traffic controllers will soon be tested for sleep apnea.

in twount 8, a pilot and copilot fell asleep in a flight over hawaii, overshot the airport. it did land safely. the pilot was later diagnosed with sleep apnea. i'm joined in washington to explain this change. first, just explain how is sleep apnea linked specifically to people who are overweight? >> yeah, so brooke, the symptoms are loud, chronic snoring. you may even stop breathing for a short amount of time. and according to the national institutes of health, half the people with this condition we're talking about here, they're overweight. now, that extra fat tissue around the wall of the windpipe, it makes it really narrow. that disrupts the breathing while you're sleeping. essentially, that means you don't get a good night's rest, and that's a problem if you're flying a plane or if you're an air traffic controller. the faa's new roll means pilots or controllers with an a body ms

index of 40 or more will need to be screened for sleep disorders. bmi of 40 equates to a 5'11" person wayieighing about 287 pounds. this all really essentially comes down to flying safety. there's a potential of a pilot falling asleep or even lack of concentration. they say mild to moderate apnea could be the equivalent of a blood alcohol level of.06 to .08 percent. in many states, that's the legal definition of intoxication. >> so how are the pilots, the industry groups, responding to this. >> >> it's a wide-reaching rule. it applies to anyone who flies. that means commercial, non-commercial. and we expect it could affect some 125,000 of the nation's 600,000 pilots. so we reached out to a group that represents commercial pilots. at this point, they don't have a

response yet. but a group representing private pilots, they're asking the faa to rethink this rule. they say there's a lack of evidence as to why these pilots should have to undergo these screenings, brooke. >> okay, rene marsh for us in washington. thank you very much. love and loss, new begins or just another day at work. the passageway to some of life's biggest moments begins at the airport. we have a fantastic piece. airport nerds, you have to check this out. our guys spent 24 hours at the busiest airport, atlanta hear hartsfo hartsford, documenting the people living and passing through to their destinations. here's a sneak peek.

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jamie. jamie, congratulations. this is an amazing, amazing piece of reporting. i know you were up at 6:00 in the morning following the cargo for u.s. air. walk me through what you guys did. >> we spent a year and a half negotiating to get access to the airport. and that all launched today, which you can see, we have a really full look at everything going on, from the travelers to the people who make the travel possible, to the people who make it safe. and this is taking place in a place that has nearly a million takeoffs and landings throughout the entire year. >> so give me some of the scoop. as we figure out this here. talk to me. what are some of the behind the scenes nuggets that people like you and i who travel a lot would never know. >> the place where i spent most of my time is with the cargo folks at southwest and u.p.s. we also had peek working with fedex and with delta, and people who were embedded with every

agency that makes it work, that you might not actually spend all that much time with. so in the course of that time, we really got to see where a package goes once it's dropped off, and how it gets to an airplane. we got to see what happens when somebody is arrested when they come right off a plane, what happens when people get to say their last hellos and good-byes. it was really powerful. and really intense. because there's a lot of pressure everywhere in the airport. i mean, we think there's a lot of pressure just to get on an airplane in time. what if you're trying to get everybody's bags there on time? what if you're trying to do it safely? >> i just tweeted it out, i think this is just an amazing piece of reporting you have done at cnn.com. cnn.com/atl24. thank you so much. >> thank you. coming up, united states congressman arrested for possession of cocaine. trey radel was in court today. he apologized. he said quite frankly, he hit rock bottom. what happens to him next?

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taking off, congressman trey radel pleaded guilty to buy 3 1/2 grams of cocaine outside of a restaurant here in washington. also, police found a vial of cocaine in his apartment. the judge today sentenced him to one year probation. the freshman congressman apologized profusely in this courtroom. this is what he told the judge. quote, i think in life i've hit a bottom where i realize i need help. he says he will go to rehab in florida and in a statement, radel said that he struggles with alcoholism, which led to what he called an irresponsible choice. i want to brings in hln legal analyst, joey jackson in new york. and joey jackson, we first -- we now know all the nitty-gritty details as far as how this bust went down. and interestingly, the congressman was not a target. >> absolutely and what had happened, of course, and you

know, brooke, that law enforcement officials are very aggressive targeting this whole war on drugs issue, and this happened to be a major sting in the washington, d.c., area where several agencies were getting together, the drug enforcement administration, the fbi, and they were really going after those sellers and other high-level distributors who were distributing this around the area. of course, when they learned upon brandi iapprehending and a one of those buyers that one of his customers was a congressman, they, of course, decided to pursue that and that led to his arrest and subsequent prosecution. >> so we know that this happened in washington and we know that sometimes courts here in d.c., they send lower-level addicts to rehab instead of sending them to prison. if this freshman congressman had got busted for cocaine in his home state of florida, do you think he would have faced a tougher punishment rather than just one year? >> you know, it's interesting, brooke, because what happens is, every jury diction is its own

sovereign. so every state has a dwmpb and a legislature, and they develop laws. florida has one of the toughest drug laws in the country. you have to wonder whether it did happen in florida, whether it would have been punishable as a felony, and the consequences could have been much more severe in terms of jail time and in terms of him retaining and keeping his seat and everything else. so the fact that it happened in d.c. certainly changes the equation here quite a bit. >> one-year probation for the congressman. joey jackson, thank you. >> pleasure and a privilege, brooke. coming up, former president george bush, he has become, as you can see, you be the judge, an artist since he left office. we're going to play a clip here as he appeared with jay leno last night. but first, the philippines is the location for the current season of cbs' "survivor." the scenes on the show stand in stark contrast to the images of

the absolute devastation that we have been witnessing since the supertyphoon hit the country. show host jeff probst shares how the impacts of the typhoon are truly impacting his world. >> i've spent over the last two years, eight months in the philippines, and while we didn't shoot in that exact area, there's such a sense of community in that island. they don't have much to begin with. it is not uncommon when we would go through the villages to see people in a tin shack with wood on the side and a fire burning inside and a clothesline with a few shirts on it. that was their daily life. and you wouldn't know anything was not okay, because everybody had this joy in their heart. but when you take that very little bit they have away and you combine it with all of this disaster, now you have just a major catastrophe and rebuilding that's going to be enormous. "survivor" has always been connected to the communities we go to, so we even have our own internal stuff that we're doing

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so, i'm here in washington, d.c. today, so as we end the show, we thought we would share a little d.c. humor with you, beginning with two different presidents. the first, president obama. we know he's got a set of pipes. and as you will see, he is not afraid to use them. ♪ i ♪ so in love with you >> well, now we know the president's crooning is not just reserved for the podium. oh, no, his wife, first lady, michelle obama says he is always singing at home. in fact, he can't resist those shower acoustics. >> that was pretty awesome.

i mean, he's got a pretty good voice. >> he does. >> i always think, my husband's got swag, you know? >> yes, michelle. >> he's got a little swag. >> he definitely does. >> that was really sweet. >> but he sings all the time. oh, yeah, he's in the bathroom all the time, just singing. he's always willing to sing. he's like, do you want me to sing that? do you want to sing that for you? but he's got a good voice, so that was very sweet. >> so the president can swing, but the first lady says when it comes to moves on the dance floor, she has those skills. now to another president, once the target of oh, so many late-night laughs, george bush alongside wife laura got the chance to return a couple of barbs on "the tonight show" and the conversation turned to his recent heart complication. >> when he had that heart scare, how scary was that? >> scary, very scary. >> i wasn't that scared. >> you had obama care?

>> the former president also had a gift for leno. take a look. it is a painting he did himself of the comedian. former president has taken up painting since leaving the white house. i'm brooke baldwin. such a pleasure bringing you the news today from the nation's capitol. now we go to jake tapper, "the lead" starts right now. are we as a society prepared to accept, sorry, there's no room at the end, from mental health facilities? i'm jake tapper, this is "the lead." the national lead, a virginia newspaper says he was turned away after a mental health evaluation on monday. and by tuesday, he was dead. and police say the nearly took his politician father along with him. were all the possibilities really explored to get gus deeds help? and what does it mean to you? the politics lead. a congressman busted with cocaine. he says he's sorry and getting help. wait until you hear how he got caught. and also in national news, a lot of us were surprised to